History of the Book of Common Prayer

 

As the world emerged from the Middle-Ages and through the Renaissance, a sense of nationalism developed.  The nation states became competitive and eventually grew resentful of the control the Church exercised over Western Civilization.  There was a constant struggle as legal cases could be appealed to both secular and ecclesiastical courts.  A case settled in secular court could be appealed to Rome in the ecclesiastical courts.  England took steps to prevent such appeals through the Statute of Praemunire in 1392.  The relationship between monarchs and the papacy grew even more tumultuous in the early 16th century.

 

The Act of Supremacy – 1534 declared Henry VIII to be the only supreme head of the Church in England.  Under Edward VI, “The Booke of The Common Prayer and Administracion of the Sacramentes, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Churche after the Use of the Churche of England” was published in 1549.  Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was instrumental in the composition and editing.  This book replaced the Breviary, Missal, Manual, Pontifical and Processional books required by the daily and yearly worship services.  It provided “The Common Prayer” to be used in services by the Church of England.  It provided “The Administration of the Sacraments” which recognized only Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the only sacraments instituted by Christ directly.  It provided “The Rites and Ceremonies” which included, Confirmation, Purification of Women after Childbirth, Matrimony, Visitation of the Sick, Burial of the Dead and the Penitential Office.  Ordination Services were published later and separately.

 

The Act of Uniformity 1549 established the “Book of The Common Prayer” as the only legal form of worship.  The monarch and bishop as well as the priest and peasant all used this book.

 

The Book of Common Prayer was published in 1552 with more reformation of medieval doctrine, ritual and ceremony.  The Act of Uniformity – 1552 required the use of the BCP 1552 until Edward’s death in 1553.

 

The Act of Supremacy – 1534 was repealed by Mary I in 1554 and ecclesiastical authority was returned to Rome.  The BCP 1552 was outlawed.

 

The Elizabethan Religious Settlement of 1559 was implemented to end the catholic – protestant controversy in the Church of England.  It included the Act of Supremacy – 1559 which returned ecclesiastical authority to the monarch and the Act of Uniformity – 1559 which required “The Book of Common Prayer 1559 to be used in all services in the Church of England.  The BCP 1559 was slightly revised from the BCP 1552 and conflated the wo  rds of administration of Holy Communion as a compromise.  It also removed the words, “the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome” from the Litany.

 

James I succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603.  The Catechism, new prayers for the Litany and modification of the rubrics for Baptism were added to the BCP 1559 and resulted in the Book of Common Prayer 1604.  Charles I made minor changes in 1625.

 

In 1637 a “Catholic” revision was proposed in Scotland.  Riots ensued and the first Scottish revision was in 1764.  The BCP 1604/1625 continued until its use was made a penal offense by the “Long” parliament in 1645.

 

Charles I was executed in 1649 beginning the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard.  The BCP 1604/1625 was not again printed until Charles II returned from exile.  However, Charles did not authorize the BCP 1604/1625 for use as he was seeking national unity between the Puritan and Anglican theologians.

 

The result of the “Savoy Conference” in 1661 was the Book of Common Prayer 1662.  The Act of Uniformity – 1662 required the use of the BCP 1662 in all services of the Church of England.  The changes incorporated in the BCP 1662 included a new Preface, use of the King James Version for the text of the Epistles and Gospels, a Baptism service for adults and formal inclusion of the Psalter and the Ordinal.

 

In 1689, William and Mary established a commission to revise the BCP 1662.  Proposals were discussed with the aim of bringing Protestant Dissenters back into the Church of England.  No final report or recommendations were made to the King, Parliament or the Church Convocation and no changes resulted.

 

 

In America

 

At the time of the American Revolution, Anglicans in America were using the 1662 BCP from England.  In the 1780’s the American Church proceeded to revise the Book of Common Prayer to reflect their democratic Church without a legal relationship to the government.  They started with the 1662 BCP, used the 1637 and 1764 Scottish revisions and considered the proposals discussed by the 1689 William and Mary commission.

 

The first attempt was the 1785 proposal which was rejected both at home and in England.  It was both too short and too much guided by the Latitudinarian or enlightenment spirit of the age.  A further attempt resulted in the 1789 being ordered into use in 1790.  In 1792 the American edition of the Ordinal was added and in 1801, the American Edition of the Articles of Religion was added.

 

The Preface to the 1789 BCP claimed that a comparison of the 1662 BCP and the 1789 BCP would show the Church did not intend to depart from the Church of England in any essential point of doctrine, discipline, or worship further than local circumstances require.  This was accepted on both sides of the Atlantic and the new American Church was immediately in communion with the See of Canterbury.

 

A very conservative revision was approved in 1892.  Included were a new service for Ash Wednesday;  new collects, Epistles and Gospels for Christmas and Easter;  the Feast of the Transfiguration;  and new collects for the Burial Service.

 

Proposals rejected in 1892 were reconsidered and approved for the 1928 revision.  Morning and Evening Prayer were made more flexible with permission to shorten the services.  The exhortation and Ten Commandments were no longer required every Sunday.  Prayers were added for the Armed Forces, Independence Day and the Church as the Family of God.  The Office of Instruction replaced the old Catechism.

 

In 1944, a more thematic lectionary was substituted for the original 1928 version without the need for a prayer book revision.  Any books printed after 1944 contain the new lectionary.

 

 

In England

 

After World War I, a revised Book of Common Prayer 1928 was submitted to Parliament but not approved.  The BCP 1928 was used by the permission of local bishops even though not officially approved.

 

The liturgical “renewal” or “experiment” since the late 1960’s resulted in two authorized books of service to be used under the doctrinal wings of the BCP 1662.  The first was “The Alternative Service Book 1980” which was replaced with “Common Worship” in 2000.

 

In America

 

The liturgical “renewal” or “experiment” since the late 1960’s resulted in Prayer Book Studies and Trial Services.  The revised Prayer Book was approved in 1976 and confirmed by the 1979 General Convention of the Episcopal Church.  This book of Alternate Services replaced, not supplemented the BCP 1928.

 

Book of Common Prayer Distinctives

 

·        The BCP contains all the forms of worship and prayer needed for worshipping and serving the Lord our God in Spirit and truth, and in the beauty of holiness.

·        The BCP is a standard of doctrine (formulary) of the Anglican Way

·        The BCP has only one form in terms of content.  All services have the same form and content.

·        All members use the same common texts and pray the same common prayers.

 

For more details, read “Which Rite is Right?” by

The Rev. Dr. Peter Toon, M.A., D.Phil.

(Preservation Press of the Prayer Book Society of the USA 1994)

 

Books of Common Prayer

 

1549     English              1549 – 1552      Edward VI

                                Reformed Catholic

 

1552     English              1552 – 1553      Edward VI

Anglican Protestant

 

None    English              1553 – 1558      Mary I

                                Under Roman Authority

 

1559     English              1559 – 1603      Elizabeth I

                                Via Media

 

1604     English              1604 – 1625      James I

                                Re-issue of 1559

 

1625     English              1625 – 1644      Charles I

                                Minor Revision

 

1637     Scotland            1637 – 1764

                                A Catholic Disaster

 

None    English              1645 – 1660      Cromwell

                                Under Puritan Authority

 

1662     English              1662 – 2008      Charles II

                                A New Uniformity

 

1689     English              Never Authorized

                                William & Mary’s Dissenter’s Plea

 

1764     Scotland            1764 – 2008

                                The Eastern Church Returns

 

1785     U.S.A.              Never Authorized

                                Pleased No One

 

1789     U.S.A.              1789 – 1892

First American Book

 

1874     R.E.C               1874 – 200?

                                1785 Evangelism over Catholicism

                Further revisions in 1882, 1894, 1896 & 1963

 

 

 

1892     U.S.A.              1892 – 1928

                                Minor Revision Approved

 

1922     Canada             1922 – 1962

                                Declaration for 1662.

 

1928     U.S.A.              1928 – 1979

                                Included Proposals from 1892

 

1928     English              Used – Not Authorized

                                Parliament Rejected Revisions

 

1931     U.S.A               1931 – 1951

                                American Missal

 

1943     U.S.A               1943 – 1946

                                Anglican Missal – American Edition

 

1946     U.S.A               1946 – 2008

                                Anglican Missal – American Edition

 

1951     U.S.A               1951 – 2008

                                American Missal

 

1962     Canada             1962 – 2008

                                Canadian Liturgical Revision

 

1979     U.S.A.              1979 – 2008

                                Book of Alternate Services

                                Called Book of Common Prayer

 

1980     English              1980 – 2000

                                Book of Alternate Services

 

1985     Canada             1980 – 2000

                                Book of Alternate Services

 

1988     U.S.A               1988 – 2008

                                Peoples Anglican Missal

 

2000     English              2000 – 2008

                                Common Worship